Spiritual Gifts
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Speaking in Tongues
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. —Acts 2:4
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Try the Spirits
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. —1 John 4:1
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Hindrances to Healing
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. —Psalms 1:2?
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Being Led by the Holy Spirit
Genesis 24:52-26:16 This Genesis passage gives a beautiful picture of how the Holy Spirit seeks us, chooses us to be the bride of Christ and leads us. The servant who sought a bride for Isaac is a type of the Holy Spirit. The servant was given the assignment to find a bride for Isaac. He found Rebekah, but before he could take Rebekah to Isaac he had to have her permission. When the servant knew Rebekah was the chosen one for Isaac, he wasted no time. He presented gifts of gold, jewels and raiment to Rebekah. Then he asked Rebekah's parents for her to go with him to marry Isaac. Rebekah's parents were hesitant and asked if Rebekah could remain with them at least ten days. The servant shared how the Lord had prospered him in his way, and now he was ready to take Rebekah home with him to meet Isaac. The parents then said they would ask Rebekah. Rebekah's reply was immediate and positive. "And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go" (Gen. 24:58, KJV).
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True Joy
Psalm 144:1-15 One of my favorite Christmas hymns is "Joy to the World." True joy can only come from Jesus, and on this Christmas morning we are more aware than ever of this fact. All over the world people are celebrating the birth of Jesus, and their joy is not based upon their circumstances. Their joy is based on the fact Jesus has come to touch their circumstances and every area of their lives.
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His Thoughts Toward Me
Psalm 139:1-24 This psalm declares clearly how much God is thinking about us. We have an expression in the Christian community we use when we are concerned about someone. We say, "You have really been on my heart." We are on God's heart every day of our lives. Listen quietly and You can hear Him say, "Today, My child, you are on My heart, and I am praying for you." This psalm says, "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with You" (vv. 17-18).
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How to Wait for Your Vision
Habakkuk 1:1-3:19 The Bible tells us that without a vision the people will perish. It is so important to have a vision or several visions throughout our lifetime. God calls us to be visionaries. He created the imagination to be used for His glory. Satan, however, ever since the Fall seeks to use our imaginations for his dirty work. Satan has the power to plant images in our minds that will tempt us to sin. We see this clearly when so many today are involved in pornography. When we set our eyes on anything that is not holy, good, pure, virtuous and lovely, those images we receive will be played over and over again in our minds. The spiritual battlefield is our minds and we must use the mighty weapons of God (His Word, the blood of Jesus, prayer and the name of Jesus) to pull down those vain imaginations that Satan would use to destroy us. God desires our minds to be stayed upon Him, and when they are, we will have perfect peace. The visions and images God wants us to have are of Him and His plans for our lives.
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Sharp Arrows
Psalm 127:1-5 The fruit of my forty-plus years of marriage has been three marvelous sons with their beautiful wives and children. God has promised us at least ten grandchildren before Jesus returns, and I kid people a lot by telling them, "Never mind all the signs of the times mentioned in the Bible that usher the return of our Lord. Just know that when the tenth grandchild is born, Jesus is on the way." God's heart is concerned with people, and He always rejoices when births occur (physical births of new babies and spiritual births of new babes in Christ). God loves to add to His family because He is a family God. This psalm speaks of children as the heritage of the Lord and the Lord's reward. Listen to these words: "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with their enemies in the gate" (vv. 3-5).
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The Love Test
1 John 4:1-21 The whole counsel of God's Word exhorts us not to judge others. However, we can give the love test to others. The Bible says you shall know them by their fruits. The fruit of the Spirit is love. John talks about the love test. "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us" (vv. 11-12).
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You Are My Hiding Place
Psalm 119:113-131 David in this psalm reveals the secret of getting through trying circumstances. He says, "You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word" (v. 114). Corrie ten Boom wrote the story of her experience in the concentration camps where she lost all of her family. She titled the book The Hiding Place. She was arrested for hiding Jewish people during the war, but she was able to get through those trying times because she hid herself in the Lord.
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A Great Inheritance
1 Peter 1:1-13 My mother died last year, and I received a small inheritance of $1,000. This inheritance has already been spent. Imagine having an inheritance that never disappears. I had a friend who wanted to leave her precious antiques to her daughter. Some of these antiques dated back to before the Revolution. They were priceless. Her daughter, however, said she did not want these pieces of furniture. I have heard stories where people received the contents of their mother or father's home, and in the process of cleaning the homes to sell them, they found thousands of dollars tucked in mattresses and cracks in walls. I have seen items given to sons and daughters by their beloved departed that have been allowed to mildew, dry rot and become worthless. If these people had taken care of those things they inherited, they probably could have sold them for a good price.
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Exhibit Exhortation
Hebrews 3:1-19 We live in a day when many are falling away, and one of the main reasons is the severe lack of exhortation between brothers and sisters in Christ. The letter to the Hebrews could be subtitled "EXHORTING BELIEVERS TO EXHORT." We are urged to exhort one another daily while it is still today. If we are faithful to exhort one another, we will not be as likely to fall for the deceitfulness of sin.
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Caught and Taught
Titus 3:1-15 Yesterday we learned what older women should teach younger women. Today we see a list of subjects to be taught to younger men. Younger men should be taught to develop the following:
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The Power of Singing
In my fifty years as a Christian I have discovered nothing draws me into the presence of the Lord more than singing. One of the key ways Paul tells us to stay filled with the Spirit is to sing hymns and spiritual songs, and to make melody in our hearts. Paul says in his letter …
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The Righteous Tongue
Psalm 35:17-28 Many years ago I did a study on the tongue of the righteous and the tongue of the wicked. This study revealed to me the power of the tongue and led me to write a book called The Tongue—a Mighty Weapon. Whenever I give talks to others, I like to speak about the power of our words and what God created our tongues to do. There is a psalm that says, "He that orders his conversation aright glorifies the Lord." (See Psalm 50:23.) Our tongues were made to glorify the Lord, to praise Him, to worship Him, to encourage and edify others, and to share the gospel with them.
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